Here is a look at the 2024 WNBA semifinal matchups, how they got there and players to watch.
There will be no WNBA Finals rematch in 2024.
Instead, fans will be treated to a heavyweight showdown of last season's finalists in this year's semifinals.
The two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces will continue their quest for a historic three-peat against the top-seeded New York Liberty.
While the Aces came out on top in last year's WNBA Finals, the Liberty have been the team to beat in 2024. New York finished with a 32-8 record, earning the league's No. 1 seed before knocking the Atlanta Dream out in the first round of the playoffs.
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Las Vegas, meanwhile, had some bumps in the road during the regular season en route to a 27-13 record. The team recaptured its championship form to close out the season, winning nine out of its last 10 before sweeping the Seattle Storm in the opening round.
What will the Aces and Liberty have in store for their playoff rematch? Let's break it down.
Aces-Liberty playoff schedule
The semifinal series will tip-off on Sunday, Sept. 29.
The top-seeded Liberty have home court and will host Games 1, 2 and 5, while Games 3 and 4 will be held in Las Vegas.
- Game 1: Sunday, Sept. 29, 3 p.m. ET, ABC
- Game 2: Tuesday, Oct. 1, TBD
- Game 3: Friday, Oct. 4, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
- Game 4: Sunday, Oct. 6, TBD (if necessary)
- Game 5: Tuesday, Oct. 8, TBD, ESPN2 (if necessary)
2023 WNBA Finals recap
The 2023 WNBA Finals pinned No. 1 Aces against the No. 2 Liberty.
The home team won each of the first three games, with the Aces winning the opening two contests in Las Vegas before the Liberty staved off elimination with a Game 3 victory at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It wasn't until Game 4 that the road team won, as the Aces -- without an injured Chelsea Gray -- won a nail-biter to clinch the series and claim a second straight WNBA title.
2024 Aces-Liberty season series
The Liberty have played like a team on a mission in 2024, particularly against their 2023 WNBA Finals foe.
New York swept the 2024 regular season series 3-0. The Liberty won the first matchup 90-82 in Las Vegas on June 15 and another game in Las Vegas by a score of 79-67 on Aug. 17 before earning a 75-71 home win on Sept. 8. That third matchup stands as the Aces' only loss since Aug. 27.
Aces-Liberty all-time series
While the 2023 WNBA Finals marked the first playoff series between the Aces and Liberty, the two franchises' history dates back to the league's origins.
The two sides are among the four original WNBA franchises that are still standing. The Liberty have been around since the founding of the league in 1997, while the Aces originated as the Utah Starzz before moving to San Antonio and later Las Vegas.
Across 27 years, the all-time regular season series between New York and Las Vegas is dead even. Each side is 32-32 against the other, with Las Vegas outscoring New York by just 70 points.
How many WNBA championships do the Aces and Liberty have?
The Aces won their first ever championship in 2022 and went on to win another in 2023.
The Liberty, meanwhile, are the lone original WNBA franchise that has yet to win a championship.
A'ja Wilson vs. Breanna Stewart
After Breanna Stewart beat out A'ja Wilson in a heated 2023 MVP race, Wilson left no room for debate in 2024.
Wilson became the second ever WNBA player to be named unanimous MVP, joining Cynthia Cooper, who earned the distinction with the Houston Comets in the WNBA's inaugural season. The Aces center made WNBA history as the first player to surpass the 1,000-point mark in a season while also leading the league in total rebounds and blocks.
Stewart still had a stellar season in her own right, of course. She placed third in MVP voting after averaging 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks per game while guiding the Liberty to the WNBA's best record.
WNBA Finals rematches throughout league history
Playoff rematches between WNBA Finals teams are a rare occurrence.
There have only been two WNBA Finals rematches in league history, and only once have the previous year's finalists met in a different round of the ensuing playoffs.
1999-2000: Houston Comets vs. New York Liberty
The Comets beat the Liberty in back-to-back WNBA Finals at the turn of the century. Houston won the 1999 series 2-1 before sweeping the 2000 WNBA Finals to earn its fourth straight title.
2016-2017: Los Angeles Sparks vs. Minnesota Lynx
Before the Sparks and Lynx faced off in back-to-back WNBA Finals, Minnesota knocked Los Angeles out in the 2015 Western Conference semis.
The two sides went on to face each other on the league's biggest stage the next two years. The Sparks defeated the Lynx in a five-game 2016 WNBA Finals, and the Lynx returned the favor with a five-game triumph in a 2017 WNBA Finals rematch.
The two sides met in a fourth straight postseason in 2018, with L.A. earning a first-round win over Minnesota.
